The Black Stars of Ghana marked a return of coach Kwasi Appiah with an emphatic 5-0 victory over Ethiopia in a Group F AFCON 2019 qualifier at the Kumasi Sports Stadium.
It was a must win match for a team that has lost favour with its football-mad supporters and on a rainy Sunday afternoon, the Stars strolled on the partly soggy pitch, turned the qualifier into a training session and reduced Ethiopia to rags.
If the victory was phenomenal, the statement behind the victory was even more glorious.
Appiah made changes to the squad, handing starting roles to three debutants, Lumor Agbenyenu, Raphael Dwamena and Thomas Agyepong, a brave decision to make on his return to the team but each one of them showed on the day, their selection was on merit.
Raphael Dwamena snuffed out a brace in the second half with Agbenyenu and Agyepong providing assists in a total team performance.
It was captain Asamoah Gyan who began the demolition exercise with a header from close range in the early embers of the game, taking his goal tally to 50, the highest any Ghanaian player has scored.
John Boye, who has been heavily criticised in the past got onto the scoring sheet shortly after Gyan’s opener with a goal, too good for a rugged defender.
Latching onto an incisive header in the vital area, Boye with his back turned to the opponents goal, made a magical turn before releasing a bullet into the roof of the net for the Stars’ second goal.
Ebenezer Ofori capped a great performance on the day with a goal of breathtaking genius when he drilled home from 20 yards.
In a group that has Sierra Leone and Kenya, the Black Stars go joint top with Sierra Leone who also beat Kenya by 2 goals 1.
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